Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture Danish Roots

Since I have come to Denmark, I have been very interested in its culture as it relates to my personal family history. Before I arrived in Denmark, I knew very little about the country or my family history beyond my grandfather’s time. During my stay, I have made several visits to the Danish National Archives, found long-lost family members, and interviewed many people. All this research has painted a much clearer picture of my family history, and has also given me reason to appreciate Danish culture and how it has evolved from generation to generation. It has answered the question, for me, “How am I and my family influenced by Danish culture?”

All of my research has centered on the family of a man named Martin Nielsen.

He is my great-grandfather, and he was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United

States sometime before World War I. Although the tradition of taking one’s father’s first name as one’s last name (for example, Knud’s son would be X Knudsen) has been abandoned in Scandinavia, my family has a similar tradition that is still practiced today.

Martin’s son was named Gene Martin Nielsen, and his son was named Martin Gene

Nielsen. This man is my father, and I am named Nicholas Martin Nielsen. If the tradition continues, my son might be named X Nicholas Nielsen. I am including an extensive family tree that is the result of all my research. One should reference this if any confusion arises because of the many different names.

My research begins in the town of Snejbjerg (the name of this town might mean

“snow-mountain”) near Herning in the year 1815. On the 26th of February, Niels

Christensen was born. He was the son of Christen Pedersen and Maren Nielsdatter, and was presumably named after his mother’s father Niels. Christen had the nickname

1 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture Bjerre, because that was the name of the town where his family was originally from. In front of several witnesses, Niels was baptized at the Snejbjerg parish church (Snejbjerg,

1815).

Niels Christensen grew up and married Ane Kirstine Knudsdatter, and on April

23rd 1858, when he was 43 years old, they had a son named Christen Nielsen (also spelled

Kristen) (Vorgod, 1858). Two years later they had a daughter named Ane Maria Nielsen

(Bølling, 1870). They lived in Fjelstervang, which was a plantation southwest of

Herning. On April 7th 1872, Kristen was confirmed as a Lutheran in the Vorgod parish church with passing grades (Vorgod, 1872). Kristen moved to a farm near Herning when he was twenty-one years old. He worked on this farm together with 2 girls and another boy his own age. They worked as servants or hired hands for a man named Hans

Bjertelsen. Hans and his wife Ane had four children, and Ane’s father Peder was also living with them at that time (Herning, 1880).

In 1882, Kristen moved from Herning to Gjellerup and married Kristine

Knudsdatter (also known as Kristine Dinesen). Kristine was from a small town northwest of Herning called Lund. She was born of Knud Dinesen and Karen Jensdatter in 1852.

Kristine also had a younger sister named Kirsten Marie Knudsen. Her father Knud was a small farmer and had no permanent job (Lund, 1860). He went around and did odd jobs for whoever needed work. Since western Jutland had poor soil in those days and the peasants had no money, it was a very tough time to support one’s family. Men did whatever work they could find (Bruno). It was also hard for Kristine’s father because he had only daughters, and sons were needed to help bear the burden of supporting their family.

2 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture Kristen and Kristine bought a small farm near Vraa and Nybo, which is about five kilometers north of Herning. They had six children: Knud, Karen, Niels Anton, Ane

Kristine, Martin, and Kirsten (Vraa, 1901, 1906). Kristen worked as a small farmer at night and as a bricklayer during the day (Bruno). In 1897, he built a church near the lake at Sunds. He was one of the head bricklayers under murermester J.C. Rønnov

(Bendixsen, 1996). Every day during the church’s construction, Kristen traveled four kilometers to the site and then four kilometers home at night (Kirstine). About this time,

Kristine’s father Knud Dinesen was living with the Nielsens as well. Old Knud’s wife died in 1884, and he was a pensionister at this time. He was still doing odd jobs to help out Kristen and Kristine’s family, and from the information I gathered it seems that he died sometime between 1901 and 1906 (Vraa, 1901, 1906).

In around 1900, Kristen’s oldest son Knud left for America (Kirstine, Tage). The lure of America was too great for a poor young man from the middle of Jutland to resist.

Times were hard in Denmark at that time and there was more hope in the “Land of

Opportunities.” So Knud settled in the western state of Nebraska, in the United States. It is my belief that he stopped in Nebraska because the landscape looks so much like it does in western Jutland. I think that he kept pushing west until he found land that reminded him of home, and then he settled there. Knud got married, but never had any children.

Around 1910, Knud wrote home for Martin to come and visit in Nebraska. Knud was prospering on the ranch that he bought, and wanted Martin to come as well. Martin was about eighteen years old and found America to be exciting. Originally, he was possibly going to return to Denmark and live there, but then World War I broke out in

Europe (Kirstine). Martin was drafted into the United States army, and was given

3 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture command of a small group of soldiers. However, he never left American soil to fight, because his whole troop became very sick with a kind of influenza. His military days were over and he settled back into Nebraska. Instead of going back to Denmark, which was the original plan, he would never return to Denmark again (Kirstine, Tage).

Times were very hard in Denmark around the time of World War I. Knud and

Martin wrote letters to Denmark and kept in touch with their siblings. Their mother

Kristine died in 1915, and it was hard for their father Kristen. Knud wrote a letter every year to his family that had a twenty-dollar bill in it to help ease the burden of poverty.

All of Kristen’s children were married and away from home, so he once more put his brick-laying talents to use. He built himself a home in Herning and lived there for the rest of his life (Bruno, Kirstine, Tage).

Martin married a young woman named Theresa Feltz. Her family, the Feltzes, had immigrated from the area in France known as Alsace Lorraine, which is right on the borders of France, Germany, and Switzerland. Her father and other relatives owned some land in the area of Ogallala in Nebraska, and Martin and Tress built a house on part of the land and raised cattle. On June 25th, 1928 they had a son named Gene Martin Nielsen.

Three generations of Nielsens still work on this ranch.

Martin and Knud’s other siblings also got married and had many children. They kept in close contact with their sister Karen, who had married Niels Kristen Johansen.

They had six children together: Kristine (also called Stine), Åge, Knud, Tage, Kristian, and Frede. Their brother Niels Anton married and had eleven children. A sister Kirsten married a painter named Lortzen and they lived in Copenhagen. The other sister Kirstine married Aksel Lund, a postman (Tage).

4 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture Knud’s first wife had died, and they did not have any children. Knud decided to go back to visit Denmark, and he did so in 1925. Karen’s oldest daughter Kirstine was about three years old, and she remembers being very afraid of him. He wore his cowboy hat and boots, and when little Kirstine ran away from him, he used his lasso to catch her.

Knud remembered little of his Danish language skills. However, he could remember enough to communicate, and he had a good time visiting his birthplace (Kirstine).

In the letters that were sent between America and Denmark, there were many pictures. Karen’s’ daughter Kirstine remembers a picture of a little boy dressed like a cowboy that was always hanging in the middle of the wall. It was a picture of Martin’s son Gene, and people would always admire it and ask about the “strange cowboy picture.” It was a center of discussion for the Danes that visited Karen’s house (Kirstine).

Knud remarried with a woman named Helena, but they had no children together.

Helena, however, had two boys from a previous marriage. Her husband had died fighting in World War I. Knud moved from western Nebraska and settled on a ranch in the area of Omaha (Kirstine, Tage).

Around 1948, Martin mysteriously died. He was asthmatic, as are many people in our family (Gene, and myself) and asthma ran in his siblings’ families also. He died with his penicillin inhaler in his hand, and although the doctors proclaimed that he died of a heart attack, many people in my family speculate that he was in fact allergic to penicillin.

Martin was planning on travelling to Denmark the next year, and it was a shame that he died before he got to see his family again (Tage). Knud died in 1966. Both men are remembered fondly.

5 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture After Martin died, his wife Theresa and his sister Karen kept in contact for many years. Here is a letter from Karen to Theresa dated December 12, 1954 (eight months after my father was born):

“Kære Svigerinde

Jeg vil lige skrive et par ord til dig og fortælle dig hvordan

vi har det. Vi er rask og har det godt. Ja nu er det jo snart

Martins Fodselsday d. 19 tror jeg. Haaber baade du og din

son og svigerdatter har det godt. Jeg sender en lille

Bordløber – en erindring fra Danmark. Naar du ser paa den

kan du jo tænke paa os. En skam at Martin ikke kan ser

den. Han vilde blive glad. Skriv hvordan I har det. Jeg vil

gerne vide hvordan det gaar og til slut en rigtig Glædelig

Jul og et godt Nytaar ønsker af os alle. Din Svigerinde,

Karen Johansen”

Because of all the research I have done, I have reestablished the contact that was lost when Karen and Theresa died. Because I found Kristen and Kristine Nielsen’s gravestone in the churchyard in Gjellerup, I was able to find out who the living relatives were. I met Karen’s daughter and son Kirstine and Tage, and Kirstine’s son Bruno. I stayed for a weekend with Bruno and his wife Metha. They were very nice, and I had a marvelous time. I also met Bruno’s daughters Gitte and Anita, Anita’s husband Morten, and her son Mads. It was extremely exciting for me to learn about relatives from

Denmark, especially since I’ve always known that Denmark is where my family originally came from. I also got to use my Danish language skills because only Bruno

6 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture and Anita spoke any English. I learned an incredible amount about Denmark, my family, and the Danes by making this visit to Jutland. I plan on keeping contact with these people as long as possible.

In conclusion, Danish culture has affected me in many ways. It is part of my heritage and my identity, just as much as other aspects of my family history. Recently, it has affected me in a very special way, in that I got to meet several nice people in Jutland and will have contact with them for the rest of my life. Because of my experiences here in Denmark I understand my family in America a little better, such as why we do things a certain way or why we tend to believe certain things. Also, my research will allow other members of my family to learn about our past and where we come from. I am very excited to return to the United States and present my findings to my family.

7 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture Family Tree

Christen Pedersen (Bjerre) (Maren Nielsdatter) Niels Christiansen (Ane Kirstine Knudsdatter) Ane Maria Nielsen Kristen Nielsen (Kristine Dinesen) Knud (Helena) Karen (Niels Kristen Johansen) Kristine (Bødskov) Bruno (Metha) Anita (Morten) Mads Bjarke Gitte Åge Little Knud Knud Tage Kristian Olaf Lief Sonja Frede Preben 2 children Benny Karen Maria Margit Niels Anton Nielsen Børge 3 sons Gerda 3 sons and 1 girl Svend 3 sons and 4 girls Gudrin Asta Edit 3 sons and 1 girl Ruth 1 son Magda 1 son and 2 girls Henry 4 or 5 kids Egon

8 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture 2 sons and 1 girl Helga 1 girl Ane Kristine (Johannes Lund) Mary Inga Børge Svend Martin (Theresa Feltz) Gene Martin (Elaine McKeag) Melody (Kelly McGowan) James Tony Martin (Jacquelyn Quinn) Nicholas Martin Monica Anne Erica Catherine Matthew (Laura) Lucas Jenny Kirsten (Tom MacDissi) Adam Anthony Elaina Theresa Elise (Kevin Lockhart) Phoebe Kirsten (Axel Lund) Gerda (Lortzen) (twin girls)

9 Nicholas Nielsen Due May 7, 1999 Danish Society, Politics, and Culture Works Cited.

Bendixsen, Mogens. Kirken ved s øen. Sunds, 1996.

Bødskov, Anita. interviewed May 1. 1999, Kolding, Jylland.

Bødskov, Bruno. interviewed May 1. 1999, Bjerning, Jylland.

Bødskov, Kirstine. interviewed May 1. 1999, Hammerum, Jylland.

Johannsen, Tage. interviewed May 1. 1999, Hammerum, Jylland.

National Census of Denmark. Ringkøbing amt, Bølling herred, Vorgod sogn, Fjelstervang by, Feb 1. 1870, microfilm M15161, National Archivet.

National Census of Denmark. Ringkøbing amt, Hammerum herred, Herning sogn, Herning by, Feb 1. 1880, microfilm M15410, National Archivet.

National Census of Denmark. Ringkjobing amt, Hammerum herred, Gjellerup sogn, Lund and Buske by, Feb 1. 1860, microfilm M039573, National Archivet.

National Census of Denmark. Ringkjobing amt, Hammerum herred, Gjellerup sogn, Vraa by, Feb 1. 1901, microfilm M16728, National Archivet.

National Census of Denmark. Ringkjobing amt, Hammerum herred, Gjellerup sogn, Vraa by, Feb 1. 1906, microfilm M17373, National Archivet.

Snejbjerg parish books. 1815, microfilm C519 – 2 – 2/4 page 51 # 3, National Archivet.

Vorgod parish books. 1858, microfilm C537A – 5 – 1/4 page 10 # 7, National Archivet.

Vorgod parish books, 1872, microfilm M53586, National Archivet

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